1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording device which exposes a photosensitive material with light to form an image thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photoprinters (photographic printing/developing devices) and printers that record images on various types of photosensitive materials, such as silver photographic photosensitive materials, heat-developing photosensitive materials and light- and heat-sensitive recording materials, are included among conventional image recording devices.
As shown in FIG. 7, some image recording devices use a long sheet-like recording paper as a photosensitive material 200. When a long recording paper is used as the photosensitive material 200, the photosensitive material 200 is wound around an axial member and stored as a photosensitive material roll 202 in a light-blocking magazine 204.
The magazine 204 is mounted to a photosensitive material supplying section 206. A leading edge of the photosensitive material 200 is pulled out from an opening in the magazine 204 by a conveying device disposed in the image recording device. Then, the leading edge of the photosensitive material 200 which was pulled out from the opening is conveyed on a serpentine conveyance path, and is stopped before a printing/conveyance section 210 and made to stand by so that the photosensitive material 200 can readily be printed and exposed.
Next, when a print order is inputted to the image recording device, the conveying device conveys by a short distance to the printing/conveyance device 210 the photosensitive material 200 that is standing by, whereby a predetermined portion of the photosensitive material 200 is positioned at an exposure position 212 on the conveyance path and then stopped.
In this state, an exposure section 214 irradiates light transmitted through a negative film set by a film carrier 216 upon the predetermined portion of the photosensitive material 200 to print and expose the same.
At the time printing/exposure processing is performed, frame information is created by an unillustrated puncher on each print. Sort information indicating film boundaries (e.g., boundary between a first photographic film and a second photographic film) is also formed by the puncher.
A back print is recorded on a back surface of the printed and exposed portion of the photosensitive material 200, and then the photosensitive material is conveyed on the conveyance path by the conveying device to a development section 218.
While the photosensitive material 200 is conveyed in the development section 218 at a predetermined speed by the conveying device, the printed and exposed portion is successively immersed in a development solution within a color development tank 220, a bleaching/fixing solution within a bleaching/fixing tank 222 and water within washing tanks 224. In this way, the printed and exposed portion is successively color-developed, bleached/fixed and washed, whereby the printed and exposed portion is developed.
The developed portion of the photosensitive material 200 is then passed through a drying section 225 by the conveying device to be dried, and then conveyed to a discharge section 226. At the discharge section 226, the frame information formed at the time of printing/exposure is detected and the photosensitive material 200 is cut into prints in accordance with the frame information to make finished prints.
The finished prints are accommodated in a sorter 228 based on the sort information creates at the time of printing/exposure.
In the above-described conventional image recording device, in order to reduce processing time, the leading edge of the photosensitive material 200 is pulled out from the magazine 204 by the conveying device and is made to stand by before the printing/conveyance section 210 on the conveyance path so that the photosensitive material 200 can readily be printed and exposed.
Such image recording devices are not limited to the kind in which an operator always inputs print orders and each process is successively and continuously carried out while the photosensitive material 200 is conveyed by the conveying device.
For example, processing within the recording device is also frequently performed intermittently. In this case, a print order is inputted to the image recording device and print processing for the order is carried out. After an uncertain period of time, another print order is inputted and print processing for the order is carried out.
When processing is performed intermittently, the leading edge of the photosensitive material 200 is made to stand by at a curved region of the conveyance path until a print order for a next print is inputted. When the period of time in which the photosensitive material 200 is made to stand by becomes long, the curved leading edge of the photosensitive material 200 becomes plastically deformed and can retain the shape (i.e., a curl having a small diameter) of the curved region of the conveyance path at which it was made to stand by.
When the leading edge of the photosensitive material 200 retains the shape of the curved region of the conveyance path at which it was made to stand by and becomes curled as a result, there is the potential for conveyance of the photosensitive material 200 to be hindered or for the photosensitive material 200 to become jammed in the image recording device when the curled leading edge is advanced by the conveying device on the serpentine conveyance path. Moreover, when the curled photosensitive material 200 is processed and an image is recorded thereon, the finished print may be curled as well.
In view of the above-described facts, an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording device that can prevent a photosensitive material from retaining the shape of a path along which the photosensitive material is conveyed, even when the photosensitive material is made to stand by on the conveyance path.
An image recording device relating to a first aspect of the present invention, comprising: a standby device for conveying, before processing for recording an image on a photosensitive material is implemented, a leading edge of the photosensitive material to a standby position at a curved region on a conveyance path, with the curved region having a relatively small radius of curvature, to thereby make the leading edge of the photosensitive material stand by; and a retracting device for moving, before the leading edge of the photosensitive material retains a curved shape of the conveyance path enough to cause the photosensitive material to become jammed in the image recording device, the leading edge of the photosensitive material to a retraction position, the retraction position being one of a position at which the leading edge can be held linearly on the conveyance path and a position at which the leading edge can be held along a curve, on the conveyance path, having a relatively large radius of curvature.
In the image recording device of the first aspect, if the period of time in which the photosensitive material is made to stand by becomes long, the retracting device moves the leading edge of the photosensitive material from the standby state, in which the leading edge is curved, to the retracted state, in which the leading edge is curved more largely or linearly extended. The retracting device moves the leading edge to the retracted state before the curved leading edge is able to retain the shape of the curved region of the conveyance path at which it was made to stand by and cause the photosensitive material to become jammed in the image recording device. Therefore, even if the period of time in which the photosensitive material is made to stand by becomes long, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the photosensitive material from retaining the curved shape of the conveyance path. Hence, it is possible to prevent the photosensitive material from becoming jammed in the image recording device when the curled leading edge is advanced by the conveying device on the serpentine conveyance path, and to prevent conveyance of the photosensitive material from becoming hindered. Moreover, it is also possible to prevent finished prints from being curled after the photosensitive material has been subjected to various image recording processing and an image has been recorded on the photosensitive material.
The image recording device relating to a second aspect of the present invention, comprising: a standby device for conveying, before processing for recording an image on a photosensitive material is implemented, a leading edge of the photosensitive material to a standby position at a curved region on a conveyance path, with the curved region having a relatively small radius of curvature, to thereby make the leading edge of the photosensitive material stand by; a retracting device for moving, before the leading edge of the photosensitive material retains a curved shape of the conveyance path enough to cause the photosensitive material to become jammed in the image recording device, the leading edge of the photosensitive material to a retraction position, the retraction position being one of a position at which the leading edge can be held linearly on the conveyance path and a position at which the leading edge can be held along a curve, on the conveyance path, having a relatively large radius of curvature; and a return device for returning the leading edge of the photosensitive material that is retracted at the retraction position to the standby position on the conveyance path when indication that input of an order to implement image recording has begun is detected.
In the image recording device of the second aspect, if the period of time in which the photosensitive material is made to stand by becomes long, the retracting device moves the leading edge of the photosensitive material from the standby state, in which the leading edge is curved, to the retracted state, in which the leading edge is curved more largely or linearly extended. The retracting device moves the leading edge to the retracted state before the curved leading edge is able to retain the shape of the curved region of the conveyance path at which it was made to stand by and cause the photosensitive material to become jammed in the image recording device. Therefore, even if the period of time in which the photosensitive material is made to stand by becomes long, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the photosensitive material from retaining the curved shape of the conveyance path. Hence, it is possible to prevent the photosensitive material from becoming jammed in the image recording device when the curled leading edge is advanced by the conveying device on the serpentine conveyance path, and to prevent conveyance of the photosensitive material from becoming hindered. Moreover, it is also possible to prevent finished prints from being curled after the photosensitive material has been subjected to various image recording processing and an image has been recorded on the photosensitive material. In addition, when it has been detected that an operator has initiated an operation for inputting an order to implement image recording, the return device conveys the leading edge of the photosensitive material, which has been retracted to the retraction position, to the standby position at a curved region of the conveyance path, whose radius of curvature on the conveyance path is relatively small, and the leading edge is made to stand by. Thus, when the order for image recording has been inputted to the image recording device, the leading edge of the photosensitive material is readily conveyed to the processing sections and processing is readily performed, whereby overall processing speed of the image recording device can be reduced.
Preferably, in the image recording device of the second aspect, the retraction position is one of in the vicinity of and within a magazine for accommodating a long roll of the photosensitive material.
By using the above-described structure, the long photosensitive material can be wound in the magazine and appropriately held in the vicinity of or within the magazine.
Preferably, in the image recording device of the second aspect, the retraction position is within a feed cassette for accommodating the photosensitive material that has been cut into a predetermined size.
By using the above-described structure, the photosensitive material cut into a predetermined size can be stored in the feed cassette and appropriately held therein.
Preferably, the image recording device of the second aspect further comprises a control device for controlling the standby device, the retracting device and the return device.
Further preferably, in the image recording device of the second aspect, the control device includes a timer, and when a period of time at which the leading edge of the photosensitive material is positioned at the standby position is equal to or exceeds a predetermined amount of time counted by the timer, the leading edge of the photosensitive material is moved from the standby position to the retraction position.
Preferably, the image recording device of the second aspect further comprises an input device including at least one of an operation key, an exterior mouse and an exterior keyboard for inputting an order to implement processing for image recording.
Further preferably, in the image recording device of the second aspect, the return device returns the leading edge of the photosensitive material that is retracted at the retraction position to the standby position on the conveyance path when it has been detected that the operation key has been operated.
When it has been detected that operation keys disposed at the image recording device have been operated, the return device determines that an operator has inputted an order to effect image recording, and the return device restores the photosensitive material to the standby state. Accordingly, preparation can be automatically made to readily initiate processing for the purpose of image recording in the image recording device.
Preferably, in the image recording device of the second aspect, the return device returns the leading edge of the photosensitive material that is retracted at the retraction position to the standby position on the conveyance path when operation of the exterior mouse is detected.
Preferably, in the image recording device of the second aspect, the return device returns the leading edge of the photosensitive material that is retracted at the retraction position to the standby position on the conveyance path when operation of the exterior keyboard is detected.
When it has been detected that the external mouse or keyboard has been operated, the return device determines that an operator has inputted an order to effect image recording, and the return device restores the photosensitive material to the standby state. Accordingly, preparation can be automatically made to readily initiate processing for the purpose of image recording in the image recording device.
The image recording device relating to a third aspect of the present invention is, an image recording device including an exposure section for printing an image onto a photosensitive material, the image recording device comprising: a standby device for conveying, before processing for recording the image on the photosensitive material is implemented, a leading edge of the photosensitive material along a conveyance path including linear and curved regions to a standby position near the exposure section, to thereby make the leading edge of the photosensitive material stand by; a retracting device for moving, before the leading edge of the photosensitive material standing by at the standby position retains a curved shape of the conveyance path enough to cause the photosensitive material to become jammed in the image recording device, the leading edge of the photosensitive material to a retraction position, the retraction position being one of a position at which the leading edge can be held linearly on the conveyance path and a position at which the leading edge can be held along a curve, on the conveyance path, having a relatively large radius of curvature; and a return device for returning the leading edge of the photosensitive material that is retracted at the retraction position to the standby position on the conveyance path when indication that input of an order to implement image recording has begun is detected.
Preferably, the image recording device of the third aspect further comprises an input device for inputting an order to implement processing for image recording.
Preferably, in the image recording device of the third aspect, the return device returns the leading edge of the photosensitive material that is retracted at the retraction position to the standby position on the conveyance path when it has been detected that the input device has been operated.
Preferably, the image recording device of the third aspect further comprises a control device for controlling the standby device, the retracting device and the return device.
Preferably, in the image recording device of the third aspect, the control device includes a timer, and when a period of time at which the leading edge of the photosensitive material is positioned at the standby position is equal to or exceeds a predetermined amount of time counted by the timer, the leading edge of the photosensitive material is moved from the standby position to the retraction position.